(Los Angeles, CA) — It’s not just the landscape in Southern California that’s green and thriving from the record rain this winter, so is the area’s wildlife. More ground cover like bushes provides shelter and habitats for animals like rabbits, squirrels, rats and snakes. That’s also good news for animals higher on the food chain. Daniel Cooper, a senior conservation biologist at the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains tells the LA Times there’s already been an increase in sightings of red-tailed hawks and great-horned owls.
Some amphibians and some species of birds that struggled to breed during years of drought could also rebound. And, with streams full again, experts are hopeful larger animals like bears and mountain lions will return to their natural resources after seeking water in urban areas during the drought.
